One day in December, Donald Miller III wore a gun to school. As you
might imagine, it got him in trouble.

But the gun wasn't loaded; indeed, it wasn't a real gun at all. It
was the image of a gun, printed on the front and back of a T-shirt
— a shirt the Penn Manor freshman wore to honor his uncle, a
soldier in the U.S. Army fighting in Iraq.

On the front pocket, in addition to the picture of the military sidearm,
were the words: "Volunteer Homeland Security." On the back,
superimposed over another image of the weapon, the words "Special
issue — Resident — Lifetime License — United States
Terrorist Hunting Permit — Permit No. 91101 Gun Owner —
No Bag Limit."

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They are, said Miller, 14, patriotic sentiments in a time of war.
He feels pretty strongly about these things.

So do officials at the Penn Manor School District, who wanted him
to turn his shirt inside out. When Miller refused, he got two days
of detention.

His parents, Donald and Tina Miller of Holtwood, got angry and called
a lawyer.

And now a lawsuit has been filed in federal court, accusing Penn
Manor of violating Miller's First Amendment rights. The Millers and
their attorney, Leonard G. Brown III of the Lancaster firm Clymer
& Musser, accuse the school district of following a "vague
Orwellian policy" that throttles both patriotism and free speech.

Penn Manor says the case has less to do with free speech than it
does guns.

In the post-Columbine era, said Kevin French, an attorney for Penn
Manor, school districts are duty-bound to create a safe environment
for students, a place where intimations of violence aren't permitted.
District officials aren't trying to impugn Miller's patriotism, said
French. But when someone brings even the image of a gun to school,
he says, that violates school policy.